Mike Tyson: From Street Fights to World Champion E168

In Search of Excellence Podcast - with Randall Kaplan My guest today is Mike Tyson, a former heavyweight boxing champion of the world and one of the greatest boxers of all time! At the age of 20, he became the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold WBA, WBC, and IDF titles and a member of the international boxing Hall of Fame. Mike has appeared in many movies and TV shows. He is the actor and creator of a one-man Broadway show Undisputed Truth, and the author of the best-selling book of the same name. Mike is also a very successful entrepreneur and a founder of two cannabis companies, including Tyson 2.0. He is an incredible person and a dedicated philanthropist through his Mike Tyson’s Care foundation, and the support of other charities including The Make a Wish Foundation and The Special Olympics. 00:00 Mike’s childhood His dad was a pimp, his mom an alcoholic and a sex industry worker He was bullied in his childhood ("you can’t run from them, you must confront them") Started robbing people to buy food for his pigeons A traumatic event with the birds that changed him Mike's first fight and from being bullied, to being the bully Went pick-pocketing and stealing with his friends Started with crime at 11, by the age of 13, he was arrested more than 37 times The stealing mentality - nobody else matters His mom encouraged him to steal (his goal was to be a professional criminal) 18:13 Juvenile facilities and Mike’s first steps in boxing Watched the movie “The Greatest”, the story of Mohammed Ali Transferred to Elwood Cottage Mike was always handcuffed in a dangerous environment Met Bobby Stewart who inspired him to finish school and started training him At 13, Bobby wanted to take him to the next level - introduced him to Cus D'Amato 21:14 Mike’s first mentor - Cus D'Amato Relationship with Cus D’Amato (Cus taught him to never give up) Cus became a father figure for him The time Mike first experienced love Cus saw in him the future world champion Working out for 6 hours a day while going to school Wanted to get kicked out of school, but Cus didn’t allow that There is no progress without struggle (study about rats) 29:32 The beginning of his fighting career At 18, a fight with Hector Mercedes - beat him in one round Wasn't afraid of losing, but being a bad loser Mike's desire to be the world champion consumed him completely Became the youngest boxing champion ever His mother’s reaction - never got affirmed by her 34:47 From millions of dollars to bankruptcy Started making millions of dollars (became highest paid athlete in the world) Went bankrupt being reckless, didn’t know how to manage money as a street kid Being rich and going broke multiple times Fame and money won’t make you happy Become your own alarm system The pain is the same at the top and the bottom of the world Listen to this episode on the go! 🍎 Apple Podcasts: 🟢 Spotify: Follow Randall! Instagram: TikTok: Twitter / X: LinkedIn: Website: 1-on-1 Coaching: https:// Coaching and Staying Connected: 1-on-1 Coaching | Instagram | YouTube | TikTok | LinkedIn

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Mike Tyson: From Street Fights to World Champion E168 is an episode from In Search Of Excellence by Randall Kaplan.

This episode is 39:58 long.

This episode was published on Jul 22, 2025.

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